Troubling Secrets
by Countrygirl09
Summary: At the last ultrasound, Joey and Pacey discover that they are having twins. This leads to the discovery of a secret in Pacey’s family possibly the reason his family considers him a screwup. Last chapter is up! Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**Troubling Secrets**

Disclaimer: I don't own Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.

Summary: At the last ultrasound, Joey and Pacey discover that they are having twins. This leads to the discovery of a secret in Pacey's family - possibly the reason his family considers him a screw-up.

Chapter 1

Joey's due date was in two weeks and today was the last ultrasound appointment. Pacey took the day off from the _Icehouse_ and Bessie took Evie and Kyle for the day.

The short ten minute ride to the hospital was spent discussing baby names. "You know Pace," Joey started, "this baby is due in a measly fourteen days and we still haven't decided on a name."

"What are you talking about Jo? I thought since you wouldn't let me name Kyle, we were going to use Pacey Jr."

Joey rolled her eyes. "As much as I love your name, this baby needs to have his own identity. The name "Pacey" would be way too much for our son to live up to. Besides," she said, "you're one of a kind… we wouldn't want to change _that_ would we?"

"Really?" Pacey asked with a grin, "You think I'm one of a kind?"

"Yes Pacey, you are," Joey told him. "Now would you please get moving? I'd like to be at this appointment before our nameless son is born."

"Yes ma'am."

A few minutes later Pacey pulled into the hospital's parking garage. He helped Joey out and together they headed into the building. They were a few minutes early so after checking in with the receptionist, the couple sat down to wait for Joey's name to be called.

It wasn't long before the couple was in the examination room with Joey's OB-GYN Dr. Peterson. "So Joey, according to your file, you're due in two weeks… how are you feeling?"

"Like crap to put it simply," Joey replied. "I can't sleep, my feet are killing me and so it my back. Is it just me or am I three times as big this time?"

Dr. Peterson smiled. "You're feeling just like you should be Joey. It's all part of being pregnant; you should know that by now." She paused for a second to look down at Joey's records. "As for your size, it's possible that you're slightly bigger this time. This baby could be a little larger than Evie or Kyle was."

"Oh okay," Joey said looking up at Pacey who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Are you ready to see your son for the last time before you meet in person?" Dr. Peterson asked, turning on the machine and getting it ready.

Pacey and Joey looked at each other. "Absolutely," they answered simultaneously.

Dr. Peterson laughed. She pulled back Joey's shirt revealing her enlarged abdomen. "Here comes the gel," she said.

Joey tensed as the coldness hit her skin. "Can't you warm that up first?" she asked eliciting laughs out of both Pacey and the doctor.

"Sorry Joey but no we can't."

Joey sighed in response and watched the monitor as Dr. Peterson swirled the wand around looking for the baby.

"Here we go," she said. She pointed to the screen. "Here's his head, an arm, a leg and the other arm and leg." She frowned for a second.

Joey didn't miss the facial expression. "Is everything okay?" she asked with a worried tone.

The doctor smiled, "Yeah. Do you want to hear the heartbeat?" she asked.

"Yes!" Pacey answered enthusiastically

"You really like that don't you?" Dr. Peterson asked smiling. When Pacey nodded she continued, "Most fathers do." She flipped a switch and the room was filled with noise.

"Uh Doc?" Pacey asked, "That's not what it sounded like a week and a half ago. What's going on?" There was worry in his voice that Joey immediately picked up on. She looked up at Dr. Peterson with the panic evident in her eyes.

"Everything is fine," she assured them. "This just confirms my suspicions."

"Okay Doc," Pacey said scratching his head, "You've lost me."

"Well this funny sounding heartbeat is either one heart beating twice a fast or two hearts beating alternatively. Also look here." she pointed at the screen again. "Your baby either has an extra set of arms and legs or…"

"Twins?" Joey asked bewildered.

"That's what it looks like!" Dr. Peterson said with a huge smile on her face.

"Wait what? How? Why?" Pacey was firing questions out left and right with apprehension very evident in his voice.

Joey was a little calmer than her husband. "What I think Pacey is trying to say is why are we just realizing this now? How did the second baby stay unnoticed for the past eight months?"

"Well it's not uncommon for unborn babies to hide behind each other from time to time. It just so happens that every time we did an ultrasound, the larger baby hid the smaller one."

Pacey recovered enough to ask, "Why didn't both heartbeats show up before?"

"I'm not quite sure," Dr. Peterson admitted, "but my guess is that the smaller baby has a weaker heart beat and since he or she was further from the wand, it couldn't be picked up or it was too faint to be heard."

"Everything looks okay though right?" Joey asked.

"Yes. The second baby is just smaller but looks healthy and normal otherwise. But that leads me to a question - do you want to know the gender of your surprise baby?"

Joey looked up at Pacey. "It's up to you," he said.

"Are you sure? When it was Evie you said the same thing and them you whined for a week because I decided I didn't want to know." Joey replied.

"Jo, I mean it this time - I promise."

Joey narrowed her eyes. "You better be sure - if not, you're going to answer to me and I don't think you want a hormonally imbalanced pregnant woman on your case…" she warned making Dr. Peterson laugh. Pacey threw his hands up in defeat but Joey ignored him and turned to the doctor. "Since we already know we have a boy, I think we can wait a few weeks to know the other baby's gender. Besides, it will make it that much more interesting when we choose names." With that Joey turned to glare at Pacey.

"What?" he protested.

"Wow Pacey, you're not doing so well today," Dr. Peterson teased as she shut off the machine and started putting everything away.

"Tell me about it," he muttered.

"Okay now on a serious note," Dr. Peterson started, "Few twin pregnancies last to full term - you could go into labor at any time now, Joey. Under no circumstances are you to be left alone until after you deliver. Also I don't want to put you on bed rest but you have to stay off your feet as much as possible that means Pacey, you will be doing all the cooking and cleaning until the twins are born. Joey shouldn't be getting up unless she needs to use the bathroom, she goes into labor or there's some kind of unforeseen emergency. Do both of you understand?" The couple nodded solemnly. "Do you have any questions?" Joey and Pacey shook their heads. "I have one for you," she said.

"What's that," Pacey asked.

"Do either of you know if you have twins in your family? There's no real reason other than it's interesting to know…"

"I don't think so," Joey said thoughtfully, "I'll talk to Bessie though." She turned to Pacey. "What about you Pace? Didn't you say something about your grandfather on your dad's side being a twin?"

"Yeah, but I'll see what else I can find out."

"Okay," Dr. Peterson said. "It looks like we're done here. I'll see you in hopefully two weeks. You two have a nice day and have fun telling your family."

"Thanks for everything Doc," Pacey said, shaking her hand.

"No problem. That's what I'm here for," she smiled. As the couple walked out she called after them. "I almost forgot!" When they turned, she continued, "Congratulations!"

TBC

A/N: This was just a light fluffy first chapter but I guarantee it won't last. Also I need some more ideas for names for the babies. There's one boy but the other gender is still unknown so I'll need some girl names too. I'll try to mention all the names I get so everyone gets recognized. Thanks for the ones I've already gotten. Please leave me some reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I lay no claim on Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful baby names. I'm having trouble choosing names for the babies from all of them! Here's chapter two!

Chapter 2

After leaving the hospital, Joey wasn't feeling too well. Instead of going to the _Icehouse_ for lunch, they went straight to the _Potter B&B_ to get the kids before going home.

Joey waited in the car while Pacey retrieved the kids and asked Bessie, Bodie and Alexander over for dinner. She was resting her eyes when she heard the front door close and voices approach the car. Joey opened her eyes and saw the sweetest sight ever - Pacey was carrying Kyle in one arm and holding Evie's hand with the other. She couldn't help but smile - she had to admit - Pacey was a great dad.

"Hey guys," Joey greeted as Pacey helped Kyle into his booster seat and made sure Evie had her seat belt on correctly. "Did you have fun with Aunt Bessie?"

"Yeah Mommy," Kyle replied excitedly, "we made cookies!"

"Did you save any for Mommy and Daddy?"

"Aunt Bessie wouldn't let us have any," Evie said. "She told us we had to wait until after lunch."

Pacey took up the story. "But since we got here before lunch…" He held up a Zip-lock bag full of chocolate chip cookies. Joey smiled tiredly.

Evie sensed her mother's weariness. "Mommy, are you okay?"

"Mommy's just a little tired that's all," Joey told the little girl. That was enough to satisfy the seven-year-old but as Pacey got into the driver's seat he gave Joey a worried sideways glance. "I'm fine," she whispered. "Can we go home now?"

"We sure can."

  

When they got home, Pacey asked Evie to help Kyle with his seatbelt while he helped Joey. This naturally led to a protest from Joey. "Pacey, I'm perfectly capable of walking myself to the house."

"Well Jo, I don't care how capable you think you are; you're carrying twice the precious cargo we thought you were and I'm helping you into the house and onto the couch."

"But…"

"Jo, say one more word and I'm carrying you." Joey shut her mouth and accepted his help begrudgingly.

Once Joey was resting comfortably on the couch, Pacey sat down beside her and called the kids over. He picked up Kyle and put him on his lap and had Evie sit between him and Joey. "Okay guys," he started, "Do you remember when we talked about your new baby brother?"

"Uh-huh," Kyle replied answering for both him and his sister, "He's in Mommy's tummy."

"That's right Kyle,"" Pacey said hugging his son close, "but today when Mommy and I went to the doctor, we found out that the new baby isn't in there alone. There are two babies… do you guys understand?"

Kyle looked confused but Evie, who was smart for her age, nodded. "We learned about that in school 'cause we've got them in my class. They're called twins, right?"

"Exactly Sweetie," Joey said smiling. She reached for Kyle who Pacey handed over while warning Joey to be careful. She rolled her eyes and sat her son on her lap. "Kyle, remember when we talked about you being the new baby's big brother?" The little boy nodded. "Well now instead of being a big brother to one baby, you're going to be a big brother to two babies."

"Really?" The little boy asked looking up at his mother with Pacey's big blue eyes. "But aren't they all squished up in there?" he asked eyeing Joey's tummy.

"They sure are Buddy," Pacey put in, "and pretty soon they're going to get mad at being so squished in there and they're going to come out and live here with us. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, I wanna be a big brother," Kyle declared making Joey and Pacey smile.

"Okay but until they come out, Mommy needs to rest as much as she can so I'm going to need you guys to help me take care of her, understand?" Both children nodded. "Okay right now I need you two to go clean up your rooms - all of you aunts, uncles and cousins are coming over tonight so we can tell them about the babies - but until we do it's our secret."

"Okay Daddy!" they chorused before running off to shove their toys in every available space in the attempt to clean their rooms for the company.

A/N: What did you think? I promise the next chapter will start the conflict. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I lay no claim on Dawson's Creek or any if its characters.

Chapter 3

Two and a half hours later Pacey was in the kitchen cooking enough food for the army that was their family while Joey kept the kids busy in the living room and out of Pacey's hair.

Everyone was coming - Gail and her husband, Stan with Lily, Jack and Doug with Amy and Bessie, Bodie and Alexander. Dawson, Andie, Gretchen and Audrey were the only four who couldn't be there but they promised to be at their phones so they could listen in on speaker phone to the big news.

  

As Joey was finishing a book with the kids, Pacey appeared in the doorway. "Evie, could you please come set the table?"

"Okay Dad," she sighed, heading toward the kitchen.

"Wait! I wanna help!" Kyle called running to catch up with his big sister.

"You can do the silverware," Evie told him, happy to not have to do the work by herself.

"How are you doing out here, Jo?" Pacey asked before turning to follow the kids into the kitchen.

"I'm going crazy Pacey," she declared tossing aside the storybook she had been reading before.

"Well Sweetheart, you're just going to have to get used to it because for the next two weeks you're not helping with anything - doctor's orders." Joey answered with a huge sigh. Pacey grinned and turned his attention back to the kitchen.

  

At 5:30, the doorbell rang. Joey answered the door despite Pacey's warnings. It was Gail, Stan and Lily. "Hey guys," Joey greeted them.

"Joey, Sweetie, you didn't need to get up. We could have let ourselves in," Gail said as she walked in.

Joey rolled her eyes and smiled. "Please. Pacey hasn't let me off the couch for the past three hours. The only reason I'm up now is because I had to use the bathroom - he didn't have a choice." The women shared a laugh.

"I thought I heard voices out here," Pacey smiled coming from the kitchen once again. "How are you guys?" Pacey came over and hugged Gail and Lily and shook hands with Stan.

"We're great," Stan answered, "Do you need any help in there?" he asked nodding toward the doorway Pacey had just came from.

"I think I've got it covered but a little company wouldn't hurt."

Joey's jaw dropped. "Why is it that every time I asked if you needed help, you said no but as soon as Stan walks in the door and asks you say 'sure'?!"

"Jo, you know the answer to that…" He turned his attention to Lily and Gail. "Would you two _please_ try to get her to relax?"

Gail smiled. "Sure Honey." As Pacey and Stan left the room, Gail couldn't but notice and smile at the glare Joey shot at Pacey's back. "Come on Joey, let's go sit down." She guided her to the couch. "Where are those kids of yours?"

  

Not long after Gail and Joey settled on the couch and Lily, Evie and Kyle on the floor surrounded by an assortment of trucks, cars and Barbies, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" called Evie, jumping up from the floor and running to the door. She yanked it open and shouted, "Aunt Bessie, Uncle Bodie and Alexander are here!"

"Evie," Joey scolded from the other room, "inside voice please."

"Sorry Mom." Evie let the three in the house before running back to her Barbies and Lily.

"Hey everyone," Bessie greeted. Then she directed her attention to her little sister, "How are you feeling Joey?"

"Pregnant," Joey declared. Then she changed her tone, "Bodie, Pacey and Stan are in the kitchen, if you want to join them."

"Well, I'll take that as my cue," Bodie replied good-naturedly and left the room. Bessie took a seat in a chair and started a conversation with Gail and Joey as they all waited for dinner to be ready.

  

After Evie answered the door and announced Alexander's presence, Lily couldn't move. On one hand, she didn't want to hurt her cousin but getting up in the middle of their game but she also didn't want her best friend and secret crush to catch her playing with Barbies. The 17-year-old hesitated too long and when Alexander walked in, she had one of the platinum blonde dolls in her hand. She could feel his gaze on her as he walked in and panicking, Lily threw the doll down but the damage was already done.

"Aren't you a little too old for dolls, Lil?" Alexander snickered. Lily couldn't reply; she was blushing too hard.

Thankfully the doorbell rang on last time, saving her. It was Doug, Jack and Amy, the last three to show up. Not long after that, the group settled down to a delicious dinner of beef stew with homemade biscuits. The meal was uneventful and soon the table was cleared off, the dishes were in the dishwasher and everyone was gathered in the living room for the special announcement.

First Pacey called Dawson on the home phone. After a very brief conversation, he put the phone on speaker. Joey then called Audrey on her cell phone, Pacey called Gretchen on his and Jack called Andie on his. Finally, everyone was "present."

"So are we going to sit here all night or are you guys going to tell us what's going on?" Bessie declared with everyone else murmuring in agreement.

"Okay, okay, okay," Pacey said, "As all of you probably know, today was Joey's last ultrasound and we had a little bit of a surprise…"

"Good or bad?" Dawson asked over the phone.

"Definitely good," Joey replied.

"Come on Joey," Bessie urged, "out with it!"

"Do you think we've tortured them enough, Pace?" Joey asked feigning seriousness.

"Hmm, I think so," Pacey replied.

"Guys!" everyone yelled.

The excitement was a too much for Kyle. "I'm gonna be a big brother twice!" he blurted out. Pacey and Joey groaned together. Then, realizing what he had done, the little boy covered his mouth with both hands and his eyes got big. "It was a secret!" he cried behind his hands.

"It's okay Buddy," Pacey soothed and put a loving hand on his son's back.

"Wait a minute," Jack said, "Joey… you're pregnant with _twins_?"

Joey nodded and the entire room became a pandemonium. Everyone was gasping. Then they were saying "Oh my God I can't believe it!" and "How did this happen?" and "Why didn't they see this before?" Then of course, after everyone recovered from the initial shock, there was a huge round of congratulations.

Pacey and Joey proceeded to tell them all of what Dr. Peterson had said about the surprise twins. From there, the conversation turned to twins in the family. But when Pacey turned to ask his siblings about their grandfather being a twin, he was surprised to see Doug gone. "Where did Doug go?" he asked.

"Oh he said he needed some air," Jack told him.

Pacey frowned "Oh okay." He turned to Joey. "Honey, I'm going to go see if everything's okay. I'll be right back." When she nodded, he excused himself and went to find his brother. He found him leaning on the railing on the porch.

"Hey Doug… is everything all right?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Doug replied, sounding shaken up.

"Hey Man, I've known you all my life. I know how you sound when you're fine and right now you sound the furthest thing from fine. I'm going to ask you again and give me a straight answer this time… is everything okay?"

"Fine, Pacey, no everything is not okay…" Doug whirled around to face his little brother.

"What's wrong? Is it Jack? Amy? Work?" Pacey's tone turned soft and concerned.

Doug laughed. "Why is it that those are the first things you think of?"

Pacey frowned. "Probably because those are the things you'd usually be upset over…" He trailed off trying to think about what else could be bothering his brother.

"You're right, Pacey. Those are usually the things that I'd get upset over but did you think for one second that maybe you're the reason I'm upset? That maybe it's your family that has me feeling this way?"

Pacey went on an automatic defense mode. "What do you have against me and my family?"

"Nothing Pacey. Don't worry about it." Doug turned back around to face the yard.

"No Doug, I'm serious … what's going on?"

Capeside's sheriff spun around once more. "Okay do you really want to know what's bugging me?" he yelled.

"Ye-" Doug cut him off.

"Okay - You're a twin, Pacey but your brother is dead. He died at birth!"

TBC

A/N: Well here's the secret that's been plaguing Pacey's family since he was born. I know I ended in a terrible cliffhanger… Leave me some reviews on what you think about this chapter and I'll update as soon as I can. Happy New Year everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.

A/N: Sorry it's taken almost a week for me to get this chapter out. Unfortunately, updates will now only be once, maybe twice a week. Here's the next chapter. Please read and review. Also if anyone has anymore baby names they'd like to share, please do so. I've chosen one name but I'm still deciding on the other. I'm not revealing the names until the babies are born. Also, I'm not exactly sure on the ages or order of the Witter children. I'm guessing that it was Doug, the two girls and then Pacey. Also I'm saying that Doug was around six, maybe seven when Pacey was born.

Chapter 4

Pacey stumbled backward as if Doug's words were a fist hitting him at full force. "W-what are you talking about, Doug?" he stammered.

Instantly Doug felt sorry for throwing out what he had without a warning. He sat down next to his brother on the porch swing. "Pacey – let me explain…" When Pacey didn't respond, Doug continued. "When Mom came home after finding out she was pregnant, she was overjoyed – we all were. Having another little brother or sister would even things out. The girls naturally wanted another sister but I wished for a brother. Having another sister was the last thing I wanted; it would not be fun for an only son." Doug smiled a little at the recollection. "When Mom went for her first ultrasound, I was so nervous. She was going to find out what the gender of the baby was. I was waiting at the door for her when she got home. When she told me I would have not one but _two_ little brothers, I almost cried."

Doug paused to see how Pacey was doing. Even though his head was in his hands, Doug could tell he was listening. He continued, "The pregnancy was pretty easy on Mom. I begged to be there for the birth for about two weeks straight and eventually Mom and Dad agreed to it. It was around midnight when Dad came in and woke me up to tell me Mom was in labor. I was so excited. When we got to the hospital, I was practically jumping up and down, telling Mom to hurry up, that I wanted my brothers." Doug laughed. "I swear she would've killed me if she could have."

Doug stopped again, this time caught up in the memories. Pacey looked up. "What happened?"

"Well you can out first and were a perfectly healthy baby…" Doug frowned, "but then the machines started going off… I heard the doctors say 'fetal distress' and then it was over. Your twin died." Doug ended evasively.

"How?" Pacey asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Your umbilical cord was around his neck and when you were being delivered, it tightened around his neck. After you were born, it got too tight and he died."

Pacey looked down. "Oh."

"I always resented you after that. In my mind, you killed my brother; you were the reason I didn't have two brothers. I often wished you were the one who died…" Doug hung his head in shame as soon as those words left his mouth.

"Why?"

"I named the other baby," Doug replied simply. "Mom and Dad let me. They knew how much it meant to me… I remember walking into the living room and giving them my choice for the name. I remember how good it felt when they decided to use the name… Then to have it all ripped away…" Doug couldn't finish.

"What was his name – my brother's I mean?" Pacey asked hesitantly.

"Ethan Michael Witter," Doug replied.

At that moment, Jack appeared at the door. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Doug replied looking at Pacey, "we were just having a talk…"

"Oh okay well, Joey's looking for you Pacey."

"Tell her I'll be right in."

"Sure thing."

The brothers watched Jack leave the doorway. Doug turned to Pacey, "are you okay?"

"Not right now," Pacey admitted but continued, "Don't worry, I will be." Doug got up to head back inside but Pacey stopped him. "Hey Doug?"

"Yeah?" he asked turning around.

"Thanks for telling me. It means a lot and is helping me realize why my childhood was like it was."

"No problem," Doug smiled gently at his brother, "but we better get back in there before your wife sends _everyone_ out to get us."

"Yeah we should; I don't need her after me." Pacey said smiling for the first time since he discovered this new part of his past.

"Hey Pacey, one more thing…"

"What's that?"

"Make sure you take care of her – really good care of her."

"Don't worry Man; I'm not letting her out of my sight for a second."

"Good," Doug said and walked into the house.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking any chances, you can count on that." Then he too went inside.

A/N: How did you like it? Please leave some reviews and don't forget to leave any baby names you'd like to share! I'll update as soon as I can.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I lay no claim on Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.

A/N: Once again thanks for all the great reviews and the great baby names. I think I have finally decided on both names. This is going to be a quick chapter - kind of a little wrap-up before the babies are born in the next chapter! I'm going to try really hard to finish that chapter and get it up as soon as possible. In the mean time, please read and review!

Chapter 5

When Pacey and Doug returned to the group, everyone was getting ready to leave. There were hugs and hand shakes all around and one last round of congratulations before the house was quiet again.

Joey yawned and stretched and looked at the clock. When she saw it was just past 7:00, announced to her children that it was bedtime.

Both Evie and Kyle groaned in response. "But Mom," Evie complained, "I'm not tired."

"Me either," Kyle declared, crossing his arms in a Joey-like fashion.

"Guys, what did we talk about today?" Pacey asked them. The kids looked at each other and then sighed before telling Joey goodnight and dragging their feet upstairs. "I'll be up in a minute or two to tuck you in," Pacey called after them.

"I can't believe how easy that was," Joey smiled.

"Yeah," Pacey said absentmindedly. He gave Joey a quick peck on the lips and promised to be right back. He headed upstairs to tuck in his son and daughter.

  

When Pacey came back downstairs, he couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. Joey had obviously planned on waiting for him to come back down but fell asleep.

Even though he was wide awake and not at all ready to go to bed, Pacey bent down to pick up his wife and carefully carried her to their bedroom. As he set her on the bed, she awoke. "Pace…" she yawned, "we can stay up… if you want to."

"No, it's okay, you need your rest. Why don't you go ahead and get changed and everything… then we can lie down." Joey nodded and after another enormous yawn, she headed for the bathroom.

When she reappeared, Pacey was waiting for her. Despite her protests, he guided her to the king-sized bed and tucked her in. "Are you comfortable?" Joey nodded. "Do you have enough blankets? If not, I can go get a few more."

"I'm fine Pace," Joey assured him.

"Are you sure? Do you need water or anything?"

"You know what, Pace, there _is_ one thing I want."

"What's that?" Pacey asked almost eagerly.

"I want you to turn out the light, get into bed and hold me."

Pacey obliged slowly, not sure how doing all of that would help her. "Better?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his hands on her belly.

"Much better, thank-you." Joey sank back into his loving arms. "Hey Pace… what gives?"

Pacey frowned. "What do you mean?"

Joey turned to face him with some effort and difficulty. "I understand that the doctor told you to take care of me but ever since you came in from talking to Doug, you've acted different…" She looked up in time to see a faraway look in her husband's eyes. "Pace?"

"Hmm?" He replied, coming back to the present.

"That's what I'm talking about… you were just a million miles away and when you're not so distant, you're clinging to me like glue."

"I don't want to worry you, Jo…" Pacey replied trailing off.

"Pacey would you just tell me! I'm worrying more right now, _not_ knowing."

Pacey sighed and told her everything Doug had shared with him even though it was against his better judgment. When he finished, Joey looked up at him with glassy eyes. "I'm so sorry Pace," she replied sadly.

"It's okay, it's not like there's anything we can do to change it. I just wish I'd known before… You know it really answers a lot of questions for me. At least now I know why my entire family has treated me like a screw-up and a loser all of my life…" Pacey trailed off and then forced himself to continue, "Now that I know why, I don't blame them for treating me like they did… maybe I deserved it."

Joey looked up with fire in her eyes. "Don't say that!" she scolded. "You are not a screw-up! You had no control over what happened to your brother! If your family wanted to blame you for what happened, then that's their problem, not yours. Don't try blaming yourself either."

"You know," Pacey started, smiling genuinely got the first time since he discovered he was a twin, "this is why I love you so much. When I feel my worst, you know exactly what to say to make me feel better. I don't think I could live without you, Jo." Pacey looked down to find that Joey had fallen fast asleep. He grinned and kissed her forehead. He settled into his pillow and drifted off to sleep holding three of the most important people in his life in his arms.

TBC

A/N: What do you think? Just so you all know, this is like the calm before the storm… there's going to be tons of action and drama and anxiety in the next chapter! I'll update soon I promise.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I lay no claim on Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.

A/N: This is finally the chapter you've hopefully been waiting for. Also I'm hoping to finish the story this week since I have it off from school. I'm not sure how successful I'm going to be but make sure you check back soon. I'll have at least one, if not two, more chapters up before Saturday. As always please leave me some reviews.

Chapter 6

It was a week and a half later and there were still no babies. It was a tossup on who was more aggravated – Joey because of the obvious and also because Pacey wouldn't leave her alone for more than two seconds at a time or Pacey because Joey was miserable and because he was getting stressed out with all the waiting. They both hoped the twins would make up their minds and want to come out soon.

  

The morning two days before the due date, Joey awoke feeling more miserable and achy than ever before. She snapped at Pacey when he offered her assistance to get downstairs and no matter how she sat or laid on the couch, when she got down there, she could not get comfortable. She felt like crying because she was so frustrated.

When Pacey left the room to fix lunch at 11:30, Joey sat up on the couch and massaged her abdomen. "Will you two hurry up and get here already?" she muttered under her breath. Just then, she felt a sharp pain that made her wince and moan.

The sound didn't go unheard by Pacey. He poked his head out into the living room. "Are you okay, Jo?" When she didn't respond, he was at her side in seconds. From the look on her face, he knew it was time.

  

Within minutes, Pacey and Joey were in the car, speeding to the hospital. Pacey was on his cell phone calling everyone he could think of telling them they were heading to the hospital, making sure someone would be there to meet Kyle and Evie when the bus dropped them off and having a few people meet them.

After what seemed like an eternity, Pacey sped into the parking lot. He parked by the door and raced inside. He brought out a wheelchair and an orderly. After Joey was sitting in the chair, Pacey promised to find her as soon as he parked the car. All she could do was nod as another contraction hit her.

  

Five minutes later, Joey was lying in a hospital bed in a dressing gown, huffing and puffing through yet another contraction. "Has… my… husband… come back… in… yet?" she asked the nurse who was in the room with her setting up various machines.

"I don't know Mrs. Witter. Would you like me to–" She stopped abruptly as Pacey rushed into the room.

"Hey Jo," Pacey gushed, "Sorry I took so long… I couldn't find a damn parking spot. How are you doing?"

Joey let out a long sigh as the contraction ended. She relaxed on the pillows. "I'm better now." Pacey smiled, squeezing her hand as Dr. Peterson walked into the room.

"Well Joey, I see you almost make it to your due date," she greeted. Joey responded with a weary smile. "How's it going?"

"So far, so good," Joey answered.

"Has your water broken yet?"

"No."

"Okay, well it should within the next few minutes or this might not be true labor."

Joey raised her eyebrows. "You mean today might not be the day?"

"It's possible, but my guess is it is. It's very unusual, especially with twins, to reach full term. I'm surprised you've made it this far." Two seconds later, Joey's water broke, soaking the bed. Dr. Peterson smiled. "Well I guess that answers that question."

They got the bedding changed and as Joey settled back onto the bed, the next contraction began. Pacey helped her with her breathing. Dr. Peterson timed it. "Joey, on a scale of one to ten, how strong is this one?" she asked.

"Probably… a five," Joey gasped.

"Okay good; that sounds about right… and it's about a minute long, which is normal for this stage of labor," she said when it ended. Then she did a quick examination and found that Joey was about three centimeters dilated… seven more to go.

  

Three hours later, Joey was eight centimeters dilated. The contractions were coming faster and stronger each time. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Both of her previous deliveries were short and easy. This one was the exact opposite.

She never would have made it this far if it wasn't for Pacey. He was there the entire time encouraging her and helping her through. She also knew she had the support of all her friends and the rest of her family, who were all in the waiting room anticipating the birth.

  

Finally, an hour later, Joey was fully dilated.

"Okay Joey," Dr. Peterson said, "On the next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can." She nodded in response and then gritted her teeth as the contraction began and pushed.

"Come on, Honey," Pacey encouraged, "You can do it."

"One more push, Joey and your baby will be here." Joey gave one last push.

A cry filled the room as Logan John Witter entered the world. Pacey couldn't contain his emotion as he cut the umbilical cord. "Oh my God, Joey! He's beautiful!" he exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

Joey smiled and sank into the pillows panting for breath. But it wasn't over yet.

  

A minute later, another contraction began and the pushing resumed. This was a very sensitive moment for Pacey. He so was worried about his son or daughter meeting the same fate his brother had.

The head appeared with no problem but as Joey kept pushing, the machines started beeping. "What's going on, Doc?" Pacey asked with fear evident in his voice.

Dr. Peterson didn't answer. She was frowning and when Pacey looked, the baby's head was turning blue.

He gasped. His skin turned pale. His worst nightmare was coming true. He was losing his child!

Before the panic could completely set in, Dr. Peterson quickly found the umbilical cord and cut it, releasing the pressure on the baby's neck.

The delivery was over in seconds and Pacey and Joey became the proud parents of two identical twin boys.

A/N: Well, there you have it. The twins are finally here and they are both alive and well. The second baby's name will be revealed in the next chapter. Don't forget to leave me some feedback!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Dawson's Creek or any of its characters. I'm just borrowing them for the sole purpose of our entertainment.

Chapter 7

Pacey kept a vigil watch as the nurses weighed, measured, cleaned and examined his new sons. Despite the second baby's shaky entrance, both were healthy and perfect.

As the newborns were bundled in blankets, Pacey took the opportunity to spread the news to the "family."

  

As Pacey walked into the waiting room, everyone rose to greet him. He didn't even have to say a word – the look on his face said everything.

"Congratulations, Man," Jack exclaimed, patting him on the back.

"How's Joey?" Bessie asked smiling. "How are the babies?"

"She's good, just tired… and the babies are perfect."

"So Bro," Doug started, "Are you going to tell us or are we going to stand here all night?"

Grinning like an idiot, Pacey replied, "Two boys!"

After another round of congratulations, Pacey kneeled down to Kyle and Evie. "Hey guys, do you want to meet your new brothers?"

"Yeah!" they cried together.

Pacey took each child by the hand, "I let you guys know when you can see them," he called over his shoulder.

On their way to the room, Pacey told the kids to be very gentle with Joey and the babies. "Mommy is really tired and the babies are really little so you have to be very careful with them okay?" They both nodded solemnly and Pacey opened the door and led them in. He put Kyle on one side of Joey on the bed and Evie on the other.

"Where are the babies?" Kyle asked expectantly. As if on cue, the nurses brought the twins over. The four-year-old's eyes got big. "Wow, they _are_ really little," he pointed out.

"Yeah," agreed Evie, "What are their names?"

"This is Logan John," Pacey said reading the ID bracelet, "He's the older one. And this is…" Pacey stopped short, realizing that the only other name they'd picked out was Jessa Beth.

"This is Ethan Michael," Joey supplied. She hadn't even asked Pacey's opinion on the name but the look in his eyes at that moment told her it was perfectly okay with him.

  

At 7:30 that night, Pacey and Joey finally had a chance to enjoy being new parents again in private. For the last two hours, so many people had been in and out of the room to see the babies and to offer good wishes but now it was just Joey and Pacey alone with their sleeping twin sons.

"Hey Jo…" Pacey started, watching his children sleep side by side in their bassinets.

"Yeah, Sweetheart," Joey answered yawning.

"What possessed you to name our son Ethan Michael?"

Joey smiled, a little surprised he had waited this long to have this conversation. "I don't know Pace, it just seemed right. He could have died before he had the chance to live, just like your brother…" she trailed off, knowing it was a touchy subject," and besides the name suits him don't you think?"

"Yeah it does… you just caught me off guard with it, that's all."

"I know, but I saw your face and I don't think I've ever seen you more pleased then you were at that moment."

Pacey silently agreed as he reached down to gently stroke Ethan's head. The baby stretched and yawned as a result. He then looked straight into his father's face and gave him a gassy smile, before closing his eyes once again. Pacey grinned.

Joey watched the exchange between father and son and couldn't help but feel happiness and pride toward the newest additions to her family.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a nurse who came to bring the boys to the nursery for the night. As the bassinets were wheeled out, Joey let out an enormous yawn that didn't go unnoticed by Pacey.

"Jo, you need to get your rest so you can come home tomorrow…" he lightly lectured.

"Yeah, I know… will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Of course I will, but then I have to relieve Bessie of babysitting duty," he replied. Pacey proceeded to help Joey get comfortable and held her hand for the brief time it took her to drift off.

When she did, he stood and stretched. Pacey leaned down to kiss his wife's forehead before walking out the door to head home.

A/N: There will be one more chapter that I'm hoping to have posted before the end of the week but if I don't, I guarantee it will be up next week. I'm thinking about another sequel in a few weeks about Lily and Alexander. Any opinions? Also I just wanted to say that I planned on naming the second baby Ethan Michael all along but it was still nice to see that many of you were on the same page as me for that. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas for names… I hope you all like the ones I chose. As always, please leave me some feedback!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I lay no claim on Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.

A/N: Here's the last chapter… a big thanks to all my reviewers. You've all helped me a lot! As I said last chapter, I'm planning one more sequel but, as usual, I'm not sure when I will have it up. You'll know when you see it. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Three Months Later

Life at the Witter house had calmed down dramatically over the past three months. Everyone had settled into a routine that kept things moving smoothly but today was a different day.

Today, Alexander was celebrating his 18th birthday and the Witters were desperately trying to get everything done and get to the party on time. Unfortunately, nothing was going right.

  

"Mommy," Evie called into the nursery where Joey was with the twins, "I can't find my sneakers."

"Did you check in the hall closet?" Joey asked trying to calm a fussy Ethan.

"Yeah I did – they weren't in there," she whined.

Joey sighed as Logan started crying. "Try your room and by the front door, maybe they're there."

"But I did already and I couldn't find them," the little girl protested.

"Have your brother help you look again!" Joey snapped. Instantly she regretted her tone. "I'm sorry Sweetheart but you have to go look again, I can't help you right now." It was Evie's turn to sigh and she chose to do so very dramatically and walked away. "And tell Daddy I need him up here please!" Joey called after her.

A minute later, Pacey appeared in the doorway. "Do you need me for something, Jo?" he asked, knowing well why she wanted him up there. Joey glared at him from the rocking chair where she held Ethan on her lap crying with Logan screaming from his crib. Pacey held up both hands in defeat. "I'll take Ethan," he declared.

In minutes, he had the little boy giggling. Logan, seeing his brother happy and no longer crying, settled down as well. Joey stared at her husband in disbelief. Pacey glanced up and saw her expression. "What?"

"I can't believe you," she declared.

"What did I do?" he protested.

"He must have crying for at least twenty minutes and no matter what I did, he wouldn't stop but then you come in and instantly he's happy."

"I don't know, Jo," Pacey replied setting the baby down to finish getting him ready. "And it wasn't instantly."

Joey just shook her head and proceeded to dress Logan.

  

An hour later, everyone was in the car. Pacey and Joey managed to get the twins ready with no more incidents, Evie found her shoes under her bed with Kyle's help and everyone had eaten lunch.

Fortunately, the car ride was peaceful and uneventful but it wasn't going to end that way.

"I'm going to carry Logan inside when we get there," Evie boasted as the car neared the driveway to the _Potter B&B_.

"You always get to help with Logan," protested Kyle, "_I'm_ carrying him in."

"No."

"Yes."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Mommy!"

"Daddy!"

"Tell Kyle I'm carrying Logan into Aunt Bessie's," Evie ordered.

"Daddy, tell Evie that I get to," Kyle countered.

Pacey and Joey looked at each other and grinned. "Sorry guys," Pacey said, "But neither of you are carrying either for your brothers. You both know you are too little to carry their car seats."

"NO FAIR!" the siblings cried.

"Actually, it's very fair," Joey said, turning to give them the look that said "End of Story."

Both children crossed their arms and turned to look out their windows. However, the bad moods didn't last long as the car rolled to a stop. Both of them jumped out and ran off to play, leaving their parents with two babies, two car seats and two diaper bags to manage.

  

Alexander was having a great time at his birthday. So many great things were happening. Senior year was almost over, he was on the football team which was having an exceptionally successful season, he had tons of great friends and he had Lily Leery.

At the moment, he was watching her watch Joey with Evie and his new cousins. Earlier, he saw her playing with the twins. He couldn't help but feel closer to her then. It was true; he _had_ been feeling more than friendly toward her for months now but was too scared to talk to her about it.

Lily turned and saw his gazing at her with a stupid smile on his face. She felt self-conscious. Lately she _always_ felt that way around him. It was weird, he was her best friend. They'd survived the "boys have cooties" and "girls are yucky" stage without losing their friendship and the same thing with the awkward puberty stuff too. Now things were changing and she wasn't sure how she felt about that…

"What?" she asked, looking down.

"Nothing," he replied, "I was just thinking…"

"What?"

"You're great with kids."

She rolled her eyes. "Well I have been babysitting for over five years."

Alexander just smiled in response.

Lily leaned over and punched him in the arm. "Snap out of it Xander, you're creeping me out," she insisted using her nickname for him, the one only she could use.

He yelped grabbing his arm. "You better be glad you're a girl or you'd be in for it."

"That's never stopped you before!"

"Yeah, well…"

"Well what?"

"Well you better be thankful I'm in such a good mood, seeing as I am the big one-eight now," he ended lamely.

Lily rolled her eyes once again and turned back to watch Joey with her kids.

  

"Mommy, can I feed Ethan, puh-lease?" Evie begged.

"Sure Sweetie." Joey carefully handed her son to Evie, making sure he was safely supported before reaching for the bottle she'd just warmed up. "Okay now here's his bottle… do you remember how I showed you to hold it?"

"Uh-huh." The little girl demonstrated. "And he can only drink half of it then you have to burp him."

Joey smiled, "Exactly."

Just then Kyle came running in from playing by the creek with his uncle and father. When he saw Evie with Ethan, a frown covered his face but before he could protest, Joey spoke up.

"Don't worry, Bubba, I saved Logan for you." The little boy cheered and ran over. In a minute, he was sitting next to Evie, feeding Logan.

Bessie came in with her digital camera. "Well, it looks like I'm just in time," she declared and snapped a picture of the four kids. "Okay everyone," she announced, "Group picture! Everyone squeeze in with the kids!" The group obliged.

"Hey Bessie," Joey said from her place on the couch, "You have to be in here too."

"Sorry Sis, but _I_ have to hold the camera."

"Mom, I told you, that camera has a timer on it," Alexander reminded her.

"And we got a tripod for it last month," Bodie added. "I'll go get it." He disappeared and returned a minute later. "Go sit down, I'll set it up."

Defeated, Bessie compelled. "You better hurry up before the twins need to be burped."

Bodie ignored the comment. "Okay guys," he announced, walked back to his place, "Ten seconds; everyone smile!"

"CHEESE!" everyone chorused.

THE END

A/N: Well that's all this time. I was trying to achieve the ending as being a snapshot, if that makes sense. I don't know if it worked too well… As you can see I laid some groundwork for the sequel. I'll get working on that as soon as I can. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks again to everyone who gave me reviews!


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